Letter: The case for Common Start legislation – Lowell Sun
By Cecile Tousignant, M.S., Lauren Sweeney, R.N., and Tyrie Osbry
Massachusetts faces a workforce crisis, with a shrinking number of 20- to 40-year-old workers. A major contributor to this workforce deficit is the fact that the cost of childcare in Massachusetts is so high, with the average cost ranging from $15,095 a year for toddlers to $21,000 a year for infants, according to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.
For one of us, a parent of a 2-year old, the greatest stressor as a parent has revolved around childcare. The lack of options and costly price tag forced my spouse and I to pull out our 2-year-old after only 3 months. The only available slot after many searches was 2 days a week, which prevented me from increasing my work hours as an R.N. back to full time. Both my spouse and I have stable careers, but that doesn’t seem to matter when it comes to finding affordable childcare.
Thankfully, local legislators including state Sen. John Cronin and state Rep. Kushmerek have signed on to sponsor legislation known as ‘Common Start’ which promises relief from this financial burden for young families, so they can return to work and increase their income.